


Forever

by Sirius Ordo (tpdlady306)



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Fluffy Ending, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:42:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23688625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tpdlady306/pseuds/Sirius%20Ordo
Summary: James and Kaidan invite Shepard to their cabin for Christmas dinner. They may have a small surprise in store for her.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard/James Vega
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: MEFFW Secret Santa Exchange 2019





	Forever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CrimsonShield75](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonShield75/gifts).



> First, I want to apologize. This should NEVER have taken this long. I started it back in December but never finished it. One thing led to another and it just sat there. My muse deserted me and I couldn't write anything. Then as the time got longer and longer, I became incredibly embarrassed that I let this get away from me. 
> 
> Anyway....here's my very late Christmas Exchange story. I really hope you like it.

**Forever**

What the hell had she been thinking?

She didn’t do celebrations or parties. Standing on the front porch, Kenina Shepard eyed the front door. There was still time to back out of this. She hadn’t knocked yet, they didn’t know she was out here. She could turn around, climb back into her rented sky car, and head back to her apartment. She didn’t have to do this. She still wasn’t sure why she’d accepted their invitation but here she was. 

Even as the second and third thoughts chased their way across her brain, Shepard knew she couldn’t do it. This was the Earth’s first Christmas since the end of the war and, more importantly, her friends' first Christmas together as a couple. There was no way she could stand them up. Before she could change her mind, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She smiled as the door swung open and a large, familiar frame filled the door.

“Lola! Welcome!”

“James,” she managed to greet him with a smile, “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Mi casa es su casa Lola,” the big man gently pulled her into a loose hug. (My house is your house.) 

For a split second, at the physical contact, Shepard stiffened against him before she relaxed and the tension drained from her. She wrapped her arms as far around him as she could and rested her head against his broad chest. She revelled in his closeness, his warmth and his scent that surrounded her. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” holding her just a bit tighter, James pressed a kiss to the top of her head and whispered, “You’re always welcome here.”

In her head, Kenina was well aware that they’d never turn her away, that she was always welcome in their home but she wasn’t sure if her heart could take it...to be so close to them...to watch them together...to hear their affection for each other...it could break her. She’d loved both of them and lost them...to each other.

“I know,” she admitted as she took one last deep breath before releasing her hold on him and stepping back. “But Alliance Command keeps me busy.”

James’ brow furrowed as his eyes filled with worry. “Don’t let them run you ragged, Lola,” he said as he looked her over as if checking for signs of tiredness or stress. “It wasn’t long ago you were in a hospital bed.”

“I know James,” warmed by his concern for her well being, “I know when to tell Command no and if I don’t Dr. Chakwas does.” She couldn’t help but chuckle, “I’m fairly sure they’re more afraid of her than me.”

“Anyone in their right mind is a bit afraid of the Doc,” James laughed as he moved aside and gestured toward the door, “Come in out of the cold.”

As Shepard stepped over the threshold into the small cabin, she was hit by the warmth inside and the smell of wood burning in the stone fireplace on the far wall. The walls were covered in beautiful dark wood paneling and the flooring was a matching dark hardwood. A leather sofa sat in front of the large hearth and a large bear skin rug was stretched out in front of it. A small dining room table sat off to the right and a doorway to what she guessed was the kitchen was just beyond. 

The snug cabin was decorated for the holidays. The hearth was covered in pine boughs and red holly berries. A huge wreath hung on the chimney and two stockings were hung from the mantle. A large Christmas tree stood in the corner, piles of presents were stacked underneath it. All in all the effect was cozy.

“Viejo,” James called out as he took her jacket and hung it on a hook next to the door. “She’s here.” (Old man)

“No need to yell, I heard her knock,” a voice answered from the kitchen. 

She couldn’t see him yet but Shepard would recognize that voice anywhere. “Kaidan.”

As he stepped out of the kitchen, he was drying his hands on a towel. “Kenina,” he greeted her with a warm smile and pulled her into a gentle hug. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too.” 

This time she wasn’t caught off guard and returned the gesture, snuggling into his hold. She didn’t think she could feel safer or more content until James stepped up behind her. He pressed his front to her back and sandwiched her smaller body between their two larger ones, while his arms wrapped around both of them. 

She couldn’t remember a time she felt safer or more protected than in the arms of her men. Kaidan and James always had her back. They were always there for her, in good times and bad. They had been there for her in the worst moments of the war, when it seemed like they’d never turn the tide. They’d been there with her on that fateful run to the beam. And after the Collectors were destroyed, they never gave up looking for her in the rubble. Without their determination and that of her crew, she wouldn’t be here today.

She still had nightmares about those last minutes on Earth--the desperate run towards the Collector’s beam. She could still feel the heat of the fire, hear the explosions feel the debris in the air, pelting their faces as they ran. Worse, was watching all the soldiers die around them, unable to do a thing to help them as they just had to keep running. In her mind’s eye Shepard could still see the fateful explosion, the Tomkah flying through the air. She barely managed to slide under the huge machine but when she turned around and looked back, her heart stopped. All she could do was watch as the big vehicle fell directly in the path of her guys. None of this would be worth it without them in this universe. In real life she could breathe again when they rolled out of the way at the very last moment. Unfortunately it didn’t happen that way in her nightmares. During her darkest nights, she would be forced to watch as the Tomkah came down on top of her men, crushing them underneath it. She would run back to their battered and broken bodies to find their lifeless eyes staring back at her. On the worst nights, her brain would play the sequence on loop, forcing her to live through the not memory again and again.

“Shepard,” she heard someone call and gently cup her cheek.

“Kaidan,” she inhaled on a sob.

“Lola,” a second voice whispered in her ear, “It’s over.”

“James.”

“We’re here, it’s over,” Kaidan used the pad of his thumb to dry her tears.

“You’re safe with us,” James added as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We got you.”

“I know,” she whispered, “It’s just…” she shook her head as her words failed her. How did she explain to these men that she saw their deaths in her dreams? That when she closed her eyes, she could still see that flying Tomkah and their lifeless eyes? She couldn’t--or rather, she didn’t want to. Instead, Shepard buried her face in Kaidan’s neck and hid from it all.

After giving her a moment to gather herself, Kaidan whispered, “Shepard?”

“Lola?” she could hear the worry and concern in his voice.

She slowly breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. The feel of her men pressed closed to her, reassured her that they were alive and well.

“You don’t need to explain Lola,” James whispered into her ear, “we get it.”

And she knew they did. There was nobody else in the whole universe that could understand better than these two. Taking one last deep breath, she leaned back into James before looking up and meeting Kaidan’s eyes. “Thank you, both of you.”

Kaidan gently took her face in his hands and used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away a few stray tears. “We’re here if you ever want to talk about it.”

“I know,” Kenina stood straight, “And I appreciate it but I don’t want to think about it now. It’s Christmas, a time of celebration,” she stepped from between them and closer to the table,”and food,” she added before stealing a deviled egg from a platter on the table. Closing her eyes she savored the taste and the normalcy, “Mmmmmm.”

“Time to feed the beast, Kaidan,” James laughed as he followed her into the dining room.

It was a running joke aboard the Normandy. The hungrier Commander Shepard got, the crankier and more dangerous she became. After one particularly long, grueling and violent mission, the members of the ground team started carrying protein bars in their go bags specifically for her. No one wanted to deal with a hungry Shepard.

Kenina rolled his eyes at James, “I’m not that bad,” she retorted as she picked up another egg and ate it. “Am I, Kaidan?”

He cleared his throat and avoided the question, pulling out a chair for Kenina. “Shall we have dinner?”

“Traitor,” she growled, sitting down.

“Smooth, Viejo,” James laughed as he took the seat on one end of the table, opposite Kaidan. Shepard was seated between them. “Smooth.”

“So, it's not much,” Kaidan chose to ignore both of his dinner companions, “not like past Christmas dinners, but it should be good,” he said, thinking of the feasts his mother made each year for the family.

“It’s perfect, Kaidan,” Kenina argued as she surveyed the vertible bounty before them. 

The Earth had been badly ravaged during the war and much of it’s food chain had been destroyed by the Collectors. Things were slowly getting better but they were still dealing with the after effects of the occupation, food shortages being one them. She wasn’t sure how Kaidan managed to find everything on the table and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. 

The dishes on the table looked divine and smelled even better. There was a small ham and all the trimmings, including mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and, of course, the deviled eggs. There was also a platter of tamales and a pot of beans. 

“It’s not Christmas without some of Abuela’s tamales,” James said as he put two tamales on his plate and passed the platter to her.

“I’ve never had tamales,” Kenina put a tamale on her own plate before passing them on to Kaidan.

“You're in for a treat Lola.” James scooped some beans and added them to his plate. 

“I’m sure,” Shepard agreed with a smile. James was a wonderful cook and if he had made his Abuela’s tamales for her, she was sure they’d be mouth wateringly delicious.

For the next few minutes they passed the dishes around, each taking a bit of everything until their dinner plates were heaping full. After putting the last dish down, Kaidan picked up his wine glass, held it up and said, “A toast.”

James and Kenina picked up their glasses and waited for Kaidan to make the toast.

“To all our friends and family wherever they may be,” the biotic started, “May they always be safe and blessed.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “And may we never forget those we lost. May their sacrifices never be forgotten.” 

“Salud,” James offered, as he clinked glasses with his table mates before taking a drink from his glass.

“Cheers,” Kaidan and Kenina said at the same time, clinked glasses and took a sip of wine.

“Now let’s eat,” James said as he picked up his knife and fork.

“Let’s,” Shepard agreed as she picked up her own silverware and nearly dove into her plate of food.

They spent the next hour eating, drinking wine, laughing, and sharing stories. It had been a long, long time since the trio had been able to relax together. Kenina wasn’t sure when the last time was that she had such a good time...maybe never. She’d spent most of her adult life in the military, fighting one battle and one war after the other. Now that the last war was over, she just wanted to rest and enjoy her life.

“That was one of the best meals I’ve ever had guys,” Kenina said, leaning back in the chair and sipping from her wine glass. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome Shepard,” Kaidan placed his free hand over hers on the table, “Our home will always be your home, too.”

“Thank you Kaidan,” Kenina managed softly as she lowered her gaze to her lap, the reminder that she’d lost both of them stabbing her heart again. 

Kaidan sensed her shift in mood and tried to catch her eyes. “What is it? You can tell me.”

She took a deep breath and let it slowly, steadying her emotions. She looked up at him and managed a weak smile for him. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s something,” he wouldn’t be deterred, “To make you look that sad.”

“Leave it, K,” she said in her ‘Commander Shepard’ tone before softening, “I’m fine, and maybe I’ll tell you some day.”

“Promise?” He pushed a bit.

“Maybe,” she hedged with a small real smile. “Some day.”

They gazed at each other for a few long seconds. In his eyes, Kenina could see Kaidan’s worry for her and his determination to get the truth out of her. Kenina broke the tense mood by sticking her tongue out at him, making the biotic sit back and laugh.

“Shepard,” he said, between laughs, “You’re something else.”

“I know,” she smirked back proudly at him.

Kaidan just shook his head and laughed.

“Ok you two,” James clapped his hands together, getting their attention, “Enough sappy, there are presents to open.”

“I didn’t bring you guys anything,” Shepard said, a bit embarrassed that she forgot gifts.

“Just sharing your Christmas with us is more than enough,” James reassured her. “Now come on,” he stood up and gently pulled Shepard from her dinner chair. “Presents.”

Kenina gave in and allowed the bigger man to pull her to her feet and lead her back into the living room. She sat down in the center of the large leather sofa in front of the hearth. The men sat down, one on each side of her. “This really is beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Kaidan said as he wrapped an arm around Kenina’s shoulders.

James reached down and picked up a small square package. He looked at it then glanced at Kaidan before looking back to the present in his hands. Kaidan nodded and James took a deep breath and handed it to Shepard. “This is from both of us.”

“What?” She looked down at the small squared box in her hands. It was beautifully wrapped in red Christmas paper and had a large white bow attached to the top. “Thank you. You didn’t need to get me anything.”

“Yes we did,” James said as he watched her intently.

Kenina could sense his nervousness and wrinkled her brow in confusion. What did James have to be nervous about? She’d love anything they got her. “James?” she rested her free hand on his leg in concern.

“I’m fine Lola,” he said, patting her hand. “Just open it.”

She shook her head doubtfully but turned her attention back to her present. She carefully removed the bow and unfastened the wrapping paper, pulling it off the box carefully. She freed the small box from the wrappings and was surprised to see the imprint of a jewelry store name on the lid. “What?” she asked, looking from one man to the other.

“Just open it and we’ll explain,” Kaidan reassured her.

With his reassurance, Kenina slowly took off the lid and pulled back the cotton inside to reveal a beautiful necklace inside. It was a delicate silver necklace with a triple heart pendant. The hearts on each side formed the infinity symbol and were interlocked with a third heart in the center. The stunning heart in the center was outlined in small diamonds. Kenina inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with a shaking hand.

“Lola,” James started, gently touching a cheek with one finger. “This represents us.”

“You bind us together, Shepard,” Kaidan said from her other side.

She turned her head to look at him, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.

“You complete us,” Kaidan said with a small smile, “Without you, we aren’t whole.”

“We love you, Lola,” James continued.

“Both of us love you with our whole hearts,” Kaidan added.

This was so unexpected. Kenina was overwhelmed by everything she was hearing. She looked down at the necklace in her lap and bit her lower lip. They loved her? Both of them? 

“Will you have us, Lola?” James whispered into her ear.

“Both of us? Forever?” Kaidan said from her other side. 

“I…” Kenina started but words failed her as the tears started to fall. This was more than she’d ever dreamed possible. She’d loved these men for a long time but never had the courage to tell either of them. Then they’d found each other and she’d been left alone...again. Now they were offering themselves, to love her forever...together.

The silence and tension grew, the longer it took her to answer them.

“Lola?” 

“It’s ok, Shepard,” Kaidan’s voice cracked with emotion. “If we’ve overstepped, it’s ok to say no. We just thought...” he trailed off.

“No,” she inhaled sharply and looked up, tears streaming down her face. When she saw the devastation on the men’s faces caused by that one little world, she quickly tried to explain and reassure them. “I mean no you didn’t overstep and you can’t take it back.”

“We can’t?” James asked, lips quirked at the corners in a small smile.

“No, you can’t,” she smiled back at him and stroked his jaw with one hand before kissing his lips tentatively. “I’ve loved you ever since you crashed the shuttle on Mars you lunkhead.” 

“And you,” she turned her attention to the man on her other side. She pressed their lips together in a sweet kiss. “I’ve loved you since our night before Ilos.” After she leaned back against the couch and admitted, “I just never knew how to tell either of you and then...” she trailed off and waved at each of them.

“We got together,” James supplied as he leaned back next to her.

“Yes,” she admitted, “And I was happy for you, even if it meant I was alone, again.”

“You're never alone, Kenina,” Kaidan said, “We’re here for you and always will be. We love you and we realized we wanted you with us forever.”

She smiled at them. “I know that now.” She reached down and picked up the delicate necklace and handed it to Kaidan. “Will you put it on for me please?” She turned and lifted her hair for him. 

“So is this yes, Lola?” James asked as Kaidan fastened the chain.

“This is yes,” Kenina said, “If you’ll have me.”

“Forever, Lola.” James leaned in and kissed her.

“Forever, Shepard.” Kaidan said as he pulled her back and wrapped his arms around, so she could lean against his chest.

“Forever…” Shepard agreed, as she closed her eyes and soaked up the love of her men…

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again for being patient with me.


End file.
